Meanwhile, in my territory, I stood atop the scaffold of our newest watchtower—a sleek hybrid of stone and steel that reached thirty metres into the sky—overlooking the valley beyond the outer wall. The sky was bruised with dusk, and the lake mirrored the last orange sliver of sunlight. Below, workers hammered in the final mana-inscribed reinforcements into the tower's base while enchantment engineers traced the last of the runes along the walls.
The air was still.
Too still. Then, it hit me. A pulse—not of sound or wind, but magic. Ancient. Coarse. Watching. It didn't come from Flare, who lay curled in his massive stone nest beside the manor's central hearth, snoring faint plumes of warm smoke into the air. This was different. Wrong.
Goosebumps crawled across my neck. What the hell was that?
Elvie, beside me in her leather work coat, suddenly stiffened. Her hand rose to her neck, clutching the crystal wardstone she always wore. It pulsed once—dim, then silent. "Did you feel that, my lord?" she whispered, eyes scanning the horizon. "A ripple in the ether… like a cold wind across mana itself. Something's poking the veil."
I didn't answer immediately. I was still staring toward the north.
Then Ella arrived in a flutter of white and gold, having taken one of the enchanted gliders. Her brows were furrowed as she dropped two parchment scrolls onto the planning table near us.
"Two urgent reports from the capital," she said breathlessly. "Last night, for exactly six minutes, every single night guard inside the royal castle fell asleep—mid-step, mid-watch. Magical barriers flickered. Nothing was stolen, and there were no injuries. But the wards—" she shook her head. "They were deliberately suppressed."
I clenched my jaw.
"Unnatural," Elvie murmured. "That sort of precision requires a being with immense control over time magic... or dream corruption."
I narrowed my eyes. "They know about us."
The mountain wind suddenly felt colder.
Heavy footsteps pounded up the scaffold stairs. Kael appeared, out of breath, scrolls tucked under one arm and a leather case of emergency glyphs strapped to his belt.
"I came as soon as I verified it," he said, voice low and urgent. "We intercepted demon-encoded script sent by ravens to an abandoned tower near the Black Root River. It mentions you, Dirk. Not by name, but by title: 'The Outsider Who Wields North and Sky.' The demon scouts have confirmed your influence is growing."
He unrolled one of the scrolls, showing a crude sketch of my town's walls, labelled in demonic script.
"We're in the war now," he said gravely.
My breath left my lungs in a slow exhale as I looked down. The Guardian Screen pulsed against my wrist with a quiet beep.
A single red line blinked steadily on the display:
[New Threat Identified: Demon Lord has taken notice of your rise.]
[Prepare.]
There it was.
Demon Lord. The name rang in my ears like a curse carved into stone.
According to the old texts, he wasn't just a demon lord. He was the ancient predator who once consumed the mana of entire continents. The very earth shuddered beneath his passage. Myths said he had no heart—only a black flame of hatred, eternally burning where his soul should be.
"Divine damnation…" Elvie whispered as she read over my shoulder.
Ella crossed her arms, her lips pale. "He must've felt the divine mana... from the statues, from Flare's awakening. He's trying to sense if the gods walk among us again."
I looked north again, my eyes narrowed into the growing dark. "We've drawn the shadow's attention."
Felix's voice came through the two-way radio clipped to my belt. "Boss, reports are coming in. A pulse just hit the outer lake barrier. No breach, but it registered as Tier 9 aggression."
Kael's face turned grim. "That confirms it. He's poking—testing. The same way a wolf circles a new scent."
"Sound the long-range wards," I ordered. "Reinforce all sensor towers. Prepare the inner dome array for full activation."
Ella looked at me. "What do we tell the people?"
I looked down at the Guardian Screen again.
Prepare.
I turned to them, my voice steady.
"We tell them the truth. That shadows rise… but we'll meet them with light."
****
The First Strike
The skies turned red. I stood at the balcony of my manor, watching the distant horizon flicker with unnatural flame. My dragon companion—no longer a mere lizard but now a majestic, still-growing beast—let out a low rumble beside me. It felt it too. A ripple in the fabric of the realm.
A system notification echoed in my head like a distant war drum.
Quest Update: The Demon Lord has begun his invasion.
Target: Dwarfin Land.
Status: Annihilated.
I rushed down the stairs. "Elvie! Kael! Felix! Report to the war room—now!"
Moments later, we stood over the war table, a magical projection displaying the surrounding realms. The Dwarfin Land was blinking red. The symbols representing its major cities were greyed out, some vanishing entirely.
Elvie's face paled as she read the scroll one of the hawk messengers had delivered. "Thousands are dead. They didn't even stand a chance. Malgrith sent monsters made of pure void-fire. Demonic wyverns. And something worse..."
"A shadow titan," Felix muttered grimly, scanning the field report. "It devoured an entire mountain range in less than an hour."
"Gods," Kael whispered, staring wide-eyed. "They didn't just attack... They tested us. That was a warning."
"No," I said, my voice low. "That was a declaration."
The manor shook slightly. We turned.
The front gate had opened, and through it came a golden carriage bearing the royal insignia. Out stepped a woman in white and gold robes—calm, graceful, with eyes like steel beneath the sun.
Saintess Athena.
"My lord Dirk," she said, bowing her head respectfully. "The king sends his regards—and his plea."
She stepped closer, her gaze piercing. "We have no one else who could stand a chance. You defeated Duke Veranos with just 300 warriors. The king believes you can prepare for what's coming."
I led her inside, offering her a seat at the war table. "What else did the king say?"
Athena laid down a sealed scroll. "His Majesty is gathering the royal legions, but we need time. He's asking you to fortify the eastern barrier between your territory and the Demon Lands. He also... seeks your technology."
I narrowed my eyes. "You mean my weapons."
"Yes," she admitted. "But only for this war. The king understands your vow. He assures you: these tools will be used only by those loyal to peace."
I looked around the table. Elvie nodded slowly. "If we wait, Malgrith will come here next."
Kael gritted his teeth. "We must build faster. Stronger. Arm more people."
Felix's jaw clenched. "Our warriors are ready. They remember the lake. They remember our dead."
Athena added softly, "The dwarves were proud. They fell defending the mountain. But they did not know your inventions. Your defences."
I turned to her fully. "Then we'll share them. Not to conquer. But to protect."
The next few hours were among the longest hours of my life. By the time we descended from the scaffold, the entire town was humming with urgency. Word spread fast—especially when magic was involved.
Inside the war room, we cleared the round map table. Kael laid out regional charts, marked with demon activity from the last few decades. Ella lit the blue core lamp, casting the room in a soft arcane glow. Elvie activated the floating wardstone sphere, which hovered above us, pulsing with mana frequency readings.
Felix and Karl joined moments later, both in field armour, dirt still clinging to their boots.
Raymond, composed as ever, handed me a warm cloth to wipe my hands.
"We need to talk options," I said, pacing. "We've been preparing for a storm—but now it's on the horizon. We have to be ten steps ahead."
"Walls are strong, but not enough for a siege from demons," Kael said. "They'll send corrupted beasts, flying shades. And if Malgrith himself moves…"
"They'll come at night," Ella said softly. "They always do."
Karl looked pale. "Do we... Have a way to fight back? Against a Demon Lord?"
"We've fought off assassins," Felix said, trying to be hopeful. "Won a war against the Duke's men."
"This isn't a duke," I said flatly. "This is a creature older than kingdoms. A being who eats magic like we eat bread."
Elvie's hand rested on the table. "Then we need to call her."
The room stilled.
Athena.
Only one person alive had stood against demonkind and survived a direct confrontation with one of their kings. The Saintess. The Sealed Flame.
I nodded. "I'll open a secure channel. Give me a moment."
I stepped into the adjoining chamber, lit a single ritual candle, and activated my Guardian Screen's divine contact rune.
A glowing sigil spiralled upward, and within seconds, a faint voice echoed.
"I felt it too," came Athena's voice, calm yet layered with steel.
"You always know when to show up," I muttered. "Malgrith has marked us. My name... or title... made it into their tongues."
"I knew this day would come, Dirk," she said, more solemn now. "You were never going to stay hidden forever. The divine dragon bonded to you—your mana's already resonating beyond the veil."
"He's testing our defences. Wards in the capital flickered. My people felt the pulse."
Athena's pause was long.
"Then listen carefully," she said. "Do not wait for him to knock on your gates."
I furrowed my brow. "You're suggesting we act first?"
"No. Not attack. But prepare as if the battle is already underway. Dig in. Ward deeper. Mobilise every soul who can hold a weapon, bless every blade, and stockpile purification scrolls. This is no longer about defending just your town—it's about stalling an invasion meant to swallow the continent."
I took a deep breath. "And if he sends his generals?"
"They'll be worse than nightmares. Twisted mages, soulbound warriors, beasts fed by hatred. And he'll send them before he ever shows his true body."
"What about the capital?" I asked.
"Do not worry about us; we have powerful mages since you've helped us translate those ancient texts," she replied quietly. "But the nobles circle like wolves…"
She didn't finish the sentence.
I clenched my fist. "I'll hold him here as long as I can," I said. "But we'll need allies. Warriors. I won't let him tear my home apart."
"Then I'll send what I can," Athena promised. "A few of my hidden monks. Some of the last paladins of the Sol Arcanum. I'll send more warriors too."
She hesitated, then added, "You'll have to make a choice soon, Dirk. Stay hidden, or become the shield this continent needs."
The screen dimmed.
I stepped back into the war room, where my team looked up at me, waiting.
"She said one word," I told them, my voice steady. "Prepare."
Kael rolled up his sleeves. "Then we start with the outer rings. Extra wards, monster traps, aerial barriers."
Felix grinned. "And I'll get the forge working double-time. Magic-infused weapons. None of that old steel anymore."
Karl pumped his fist. "We'll fight. We always do."
Even Raymond gave a solemn nod. "And I shall begin organising town supply caches. Food, medicine, escape tunnels... just in case."
"Okay, I think it's time I purchase a new supply. Wait here, everyone. I'll be back."
We were no longer just building a village. We were building a fortress.